Netflix News

I'm liking this Netflix challenge from The Farmer's Daughter and Miss Ellaneous. Here's my list of things that I've watched recently.

1. The majority of my Netflix time is spent watching Gilmore Girls. Captain Something Fun got me hooked one night when she was watching Season One Episode One on her TV when we were roommates. I pretended to not watch by taking off my glasses (she didn't invite me to watch with her and I didn't want to get hooked to another show). Of course I have a problem with getting hooked to a show and spending all my free time trying to furiously watch all of the episodes. Well, CSF caught be watching the second episode a few days later and insisted that we watch all the episodes together. We did well on this promise for the first season but then Christmas break came and I graduated. Our show watching time together seemed limited and she's already seen all of the episodes and I have a much better attention span for sitting and watching shows/movies than she does. Long story short, we broke that pact and I've been furiously watching since. I'm now on Season Six. I was going to stop after Luke and Lorelai finally got together in the last episode of Season Four, but CSF told me I needed to finish. It's been up and down and I hope they will eventually get married. I've been waiting since Season One. Maybe you can tell I like this show a bit. It's a bit of a soap, but I enjoy the witty humor, the mother-daughter relationship, and the wacky characters such as Paris and Kirk. Get past the fact that it is almost entirely about drama within relationships and the characters never seem to use their head during a conflict and you might find that it's an enjoyable show. On the plus side, all seven seasons are on Netflix.

2.  Recently, in a hiatus from Gilmore Girls, I watched the movie  I Don't Know How She Does It. It's a fairly short comedy/thought-provoker about priorities. The main character is a workaholic mother and the plotline consists of her family break-down when she spends way too much time working. Of course it all comes through in the end and she figures out how to keep her job and make family her priority. Thankfully her boss values her enough to respect this wish. It's a bit predictable, but I think what drew me in was the hope for a happy ending. 

3. Back when Captain Something Fun and I had our pact to only watch Gilmore Girls together, I watched Switched at Birth alone. It has more drama and more characters who don't think during conflict, but it also has great family dynamics. What makes this show particularly enticing to me is the ASL connection. Since I was in middle school, I have been interested in sign language. It's a beautiful language full of expression and nuances. The show is centered around two very different families who discover 16 years too late that their daughters were switched in the hospital at birth. Daphne grows up a redhead in a Latina home and after a childhood sickness is hard of hearing. Bay grows up as a brunette in a rich family of strawberry blondes. The producers of this show do a brilliant job of making the families actually look like they share genes. After all the drama, I enjoy seeing the families make up and cooperate. Warning: Only seasons 1-3 are on Netflix. The show is currently in Season Four so you'll have to catch that on TV.

Other than that I've watched a couple of filler movies such as Princess Bride 2. I've been trying to limit my Netflix time so that I actually spend time reading as well. Of course, it's also slowed down now that I have jobs to attend to on a daily basis. 

Granny Eyre

PS. I'm looking forward to checking out a new show on Netflix called Death at Pemberly. It's based on a sequel to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It could be complete junk or it could be Downton Abbey quality. I'll let you know.

Where's the popcorn?

Per a request from The Farmer's Daughter, I will share my list of shows & movies that I have been watching on Netflix. Just a warning...the majority of the shows on this list made me cry, so you might want to have a tissue handy if you are anywhere near as emotional as me! Haha!

• Parenthood. Although I just started watching this show (I'm still in the first season), I really enjoy it so far. The main reason I like this show is because it seems realistic. Life isn't always easy and things don't always go the way that they are planned, but it still has its good (and sometimes funny) moments. 

• Short Term 12. (Rated 4.4/5 on Rotten Tomatoes). This movie takes place at a residential treatment facility for troubled teens. I was immediately sucked into the the lives of the main character Grace and her boyfriend, Mason, who are both supervisors at the facility. Neither one of them had a perfect childhood, and yet (or quite possibly because of this), they do a great job of taking care of the teens. I like this movie for the same reason I like Parenthood...because it shows that life isn't always perfect and that you can rise up from whatever problems might be facing you as long as you have determination and a little support along the way. 

• Camp Takota. (Rated 3.8/5 on Rotten Tomatoes). I liked this movie because it reminded me of my week spent as a counselor at 4-H camp. I know a couple of the Twenty Somethings have either went to camp before or been a counselor themselves, so I think they might enjoy this comedy about a camp counselor who didn't really want to be at camp, but found it to be life-changing in the end. 

• Camp (2013). This movie is similar to Camp Takota in that it takes place at a camp, and the camp counselor also didn't want to be at camp, but also found his experience to be life-changing.  It is also a little like Short Term 12, because this camp is for children with troubled pasts. I definitely cried, not gonna lie. 
  

Another thing these movies have in common is that they all have attractive actors in them that I had never heard of before. Of course, your tastes may be different than mine...it's clear that I like the tall, dark types..and a little scruff never hurt anybody!

Top left: John Gallager Jr., Short Term 12, Top right: Chester See, Camp Takota,
Bottom left: Chris Riedell, Camp Takota, and Bottom right: Michael Mattera, Camp. 

That's all for now, folks.

 

-Miss Ellaneous 

Life

It sounds like there are a billion fat ants, running across the tin roof above my head. The snow is what is making all the noise...while I'm sitting in my room I'm just listening to the snow on the roof. It must be really wet snow, because it actually sounds more like a light rain. I'd really like to take a walk soon--oh how I love walks in the snow, and when it's snowing! Okay, this was really just a distracting way to start out my blog post, but I really love snow and wanted to share that bit.

This is probably going to be a broad-topic post because I don't have any one specific event or thought to write on today. But I really thought it was time for me to write. Just so that there's some organization, I'd like to make a list of a few things that are on my mind:

• My Beau's Birthday
• My Obsession with Netflix
• Adventures Shooting a Wedding

My Beau's Birthday: 

As you probably all know, this past Wednesday was his birthday. We met up for lunch and I gave him his gift, but we hope to celebrate more this weekend. It's kind of funny, he was wanting to see American Sniper and I kind of passed it off as a guy movie I probably wouldn't like that well but I would see with him anyway. But I noticed all the good press it was getting and I decided to listen to what everyone was saying about it. Now I'm pretty pumped to see it. It sounds like it's a good movie, although it does look sort of depressing. (Hopefully we can do something happy after watching it). So I think we'll see "his" movie and get dinner to continue the celebrating this weekend..and we'll eat lunch with his family on Sunday. By the way...he now has an adorable little niece. Nieces are the best! 

We don't really see movies that often, but we've seen several recently. Last weekend we got to see "my movie". It was The Wedding Ringer. It was pretty crude, but I must say it had me laughing most of the time. Has anyone else seen it? 

I love collages..I wanted to share the birthday collage I made.

My Obsession with Netflix:

One of my Christmas presents from the beau was this awesome little device called Amazon Fire TV stick. It works similarly to Roku or Chromecast. It's a little stick that plugs into the HDMI input in your TV and it connects to Wifi and streams various applications onto your TV..like Netflix, Pandora, Crackle, (of course Amazon Prime shows & movies), and many more. I really love it..and I think I probably get a little too much use out of it. So I've been watching my fair share of Netflix in my room through my TV. I mostly watch shows, but occasionally I watch movies. I know most of you, if not all of you TwentySomethings have Netflix and I'd love to hear your recommendations. Here's a few shows I have been enjoying: 

1. Once Upon a Time. I absolutely love this show! If you know me, you know how much I love fairy-tale characters. It includes most of the fairy-tales we grew up hearing and it meshes them all into one big saga. I've slowed down watching it because there are only 3 seasons and I don't want to watch them all and have to wait until they put season 4 on Netflix. 
2. Gossip Girl. I kind of can't believe I've started watching this show, but I have watched a couple episodes so far. It's like a teenage soap opera but I find it pretty entertaining. 
3. Breaking Bad. I've heard so many people talk about this show and never really knew what it was about. The beau and I watched the first episode a couple weeks ago to try it out. The main character is a middle age man who is struggling to pay the bills with his wife and son so he decides to start cooking meth. He isn't the law-breaking, drug-dealing type, which is what makes the show so interesting- he's just a high-school teacher who is really good at chemistry and needs money. I'm pretty sure the beau likes it more than I do, but I think it's an intriguing show. 
4. Frasier. I think it's my brothers' fault I like this show. It's about a quirky, middle-aged radio psychiatrist and his family. It always makes me laugh, plus I understand most of the psychological references they make which I enjoy. 
5. Switch. The beau and I watched this movie a couple weeks ago and I thought it was a cute romantic-comedy. Jennifer Aniston plays the lead role and I think she's a good actress. Plus, the little boy in this movie is AdoRable! 

You might be getting tired of my Netflix list, so I'm going to stop now. But like I said earlier, I'm interested in hearing what you all enjoy watching on Netflix! 

The Wedding. 

Last Saturday I photographed the Ramsay's wedding. It was my first hired wedding shoot and it was nerve-racking! But it was also great getting some experience with something different than the usual portraits I like to do. Plus..I had help from a very lovely assistant, Martha S. I was so glad she was there to talk to, get advice from and have an extra photographer during the ceremony. It was a fairly traditional catholic wedding and at the reception they had a pig roast with potluck side dishes. Yummy! Anyway...I need to start editing the images so the lovely couple can see them!

Martha S., Photographer

Until Next Time,

The Farmer's Daughter

School, and Work!

I haven't made a post in a while which is not out of character for me but it gives me an excuse to tell you all about my many adventures. So it is now almost the end of week three in my final term as an under grad (SWEET!) only fourteen more weeks to go! It has been a very busy three weeks to say the least. The biggest change for me is in my job. I have worked with three year olds and one year olds a lot but very limited experience with two year olds. Now I am in the classroom full time working with a bunch of cute looking two year olds and one, twenty month old. It has been a daring adventure so far. It seems at first glance that there is no structure to their lives at school but after a couple days I think I figured it out. Two year olds have very short attention spans, except when it comes to bubbles, so they are always running from one center to the next and back and forth. It is hard to keep up. It is so much fun though listening  to them talk and play with each other. I really like how they are almost always willing to help with jobs like picking up toys and especially running the vacuum cleaner. There is one child in particular every evening who wants to help me clean the rugs and is always telling their parents how they are being helpers. I thought that it would be really hard adjusting to the new classroom teacher but it turns out that it was not that big of a deal as I originally thought it would be. The lead teacher is super nice and very willing so it has turned out very well so far.
On a different but similar note, it has been quiet an adjustment going from always having had a roommate to not having a roommate. I find myself talking out loud a lot more than usual and I am not as neat as I would be if there was some one else living in my room too. Meal times are the hardest for me because all of you have graduated and it gets kind of lonely sitting by yourself when there are hundreds of people around.
A cool story from last night during my AWANA class I got to explain to a child who Adam and Eve and how God made him, and everyone else here. It was very heart warming for me because it has only been three years ago when I was in the little boys place asking the same questions. I have hope that God will help him go far.
As far as classes go I am in five but they aren't super difficult this semester I am trying this new thing out called actually reading for class and doing my homework. So far I think it is working out for me. By far my favorite class is play throughout the lifespan. It is a fun class and very interesting topic to learn more about.

School

It's the weekend! Sweet! I just decided that going grocery shopping on a whim is probably not the best move I could make. I came home with semi-useful items and then remembered more useful things once I got here. One thing about shopping at Krogers that I do love is the electronic coupons. I sat in the parking lot and loaded several to my card before I went in. These coupons allow me to buy some brands that I might otherwise avoid. Today they gave direction to my shopping. Possibly not the best idea. I think though that I'll have enough food for a while. It's just sort of random food. Tonight I plan to have French Toast and sausage because I need to use up some semi-stale bread.

I'm really starting to enjoy my tutoring time, and I think some of the kids like me as well. When I stopped by to talk to the third grade teacher, one of my girls who I only started working with yesterday told me that she wasn't going to let me leave because she wanted to stay with me forever. Sweet. I guess it'll be even sweeter if she says the same thing after I start making her write next week. The job started kind of slow and I felt a bit useless some days because I didn't have any groups. This was the first day though that I had three full hours of pull-out groups. This means I have to run back and forth finding these kids and returning them. I also don't have a permanent home so I'm holding my sessions in the library.

Sometimes these kids say the craziest things. Just yesterday, when I walked into the third grade classroom, this little girl looked at me and said that I look different every day. I didn't even think these kids noticed me since I hadn't really been doing anything with them yet.

Today I felt sort of bad for the sole boy in my fourth grade group. The girls had finished their spelling sheet from their teacher so I gave them markers and paper to write their words in all different colors. It's still amazing that such a simple activity brings them such great joy. The boy was still trying to meticulously copy down the run-on sentence on the paper. He is almost always the last one finished because he doesn't read or write very quickly. Everyday he asks me if we will have time to work on their drawings. I'm not sure he's finished one yet (the first day I let them make name tags for their folders and another day I asked them to draw a scene from the book we're reading.). He's still pretty cute though when he gets excited about answering questions.

Random Tidbits

Last weekend, my cousin came for a visit. She lives in Tennessee, so it isn't often that I get to see her. I took her over to my sister's house for a homemade spaghetti dinner and we spent hours catching up and ended the night with my sister giving us each a haircut. Even though she is over a decade older than me, we seem to have a lot in common to talk about. 

I have decided that I can get along with almost anyone. I was just thinking about it, and most of my friend groups are very different from one another, but I enjoy spending time with all of them. People are so different, but so alike at the same time...I don't know how to explain it. I love talking to people of various ages and backgrounds. I enjoy a conversation with a 1st grader just as much as I do a 75 year old. People are just cool!

This week, I have been riding a different bus in the morning than the one I usually ride. I have enjoyed this, because the route is quite a bit shorter, so I don't have to get up as early or stay out as late. I have been sleeping a lot more lately than I probably should, but I blame the cold weather. When it is gross outside, lounging on the couch in my pajamas is really the only thing I want to do. I have been wanting to do something crafty, but can't find the motivation to start a big project, so I bought a coloring book and colored a picture of a lobster instead! Haha...random, I know. I used to love coloring when I was younger and had no less than 30 coloring books. Although it may be a bit childish, coloring is great for relieving stress. When you are focused on staying inside the lines and which color the lobster's tail should be, it becomes easier to forget about what's bothering you. 

-Miss Ellaneous

A Tired Puppy

I've been working my two jobs for almost a week now. It's only Wednesday but I'm exhausted. Thankfully I only have 3 hours at the school tomorrow. My week is front-loaded with all of the busyness. On Mondays I get to school at 8 am (which involves leaving the house at 7:15 because of morning traffic). I tutor for three hours. Right now my tutoring is not very defined because the teachers haven't put me into groups yet. The best part of the time is when I take my 4th graders to the library for guided reading. There are only four of them, and they all have such varying personalities. Today somehow while talking about dinosaurs we ended  up discussing when a mother goes from protective to overprotective. After tutoring, I chill out on campus or somewhere in town until 4:30 when I have to be at the BCM building for leadership training and regular Bible study. I don't leave town until 8:15 or so and then it's the 30 minutes home and to bed for me.

Tuesdays are longer because I tutor in the mornings, man a prayer table on campus for 3 hours and then lead a Bible study at 8 pm. It leaves me about five hours in the afternoon to chill on campus which gets tiring. I don't want to drive back to the house because I don't have the money to spend on that much gas. My poor little Roxie is getting a lot of miles on her. I'm happy to say though that she hasn't had any problems since her alternator was replaced over Christmas break. Let's hope she stays that way.

I'm enjoying my jobs but I think I'm going to be one tired puppy every Wednesday. Hopefully soon I'll have some kid stories to share.

In other news, a deer died in between my house and the neighbor's house. I'm really unsure what caused it to die there, but I woke up one morning and there it was...antlers and all. After much internal debate, I decided to leave it alone and not bother the neighbor. A few days later I was sitting in my quiet living room when I heard gun shots close by. Looking out the window, I saw three guys shooting this frozen deer and then dragging it to the woods behind the house. I think that was the neighbor. Sure hope so. Needless to say, I turned on the alarm system and made sure the doors were locked just in case. Better safe than sorry I suppose.

Well there's a bit of an update.

I HAVE A JOB!

Well friends, I am now going to be a substitute teacher.

As I've been looking for a job, a couple of people have suggested I try substitute teaching. My first reactions were: 1. I have very little experience with teaching & no experience with large groups of students in general and 2. My mother (who has been a teacher for 25+ years and a substitute before that), discouraged it because she knows how tricky students can be with a substitute and how little experience I have. But..I searched for a part time job in other fields for about 3 months. I had several requirements though, maybe I was too picky: I wanted a job that I would like, would fit with my school schedule and would be worth the drive (since I live in the boonies)..I was not hired anywhere.
In December my mother talked with a twenty-something acquaintance at her school who was substituting. This acquaintance had a bachelor's degree unrelated to teaching and no teaching experience. This encouraged my mother and she encouraged me to apply to be a substitute. So I finished my application by mid-December for A. County schools but I was only recently contacted because of the holidays. I've had my interview/meeting this week so now I just have a background check, physical, TB test, and several hours completing online trainings before I can begin in the classroom. It could take 3 weeks or more before this is all complete (mainly waiting on the background check) but I'm very excited that I finally have a part-time job in my near future.
When I had my meeting, they also helped me apply to be a paraeducator (what I understand to be a fancy word for a teacher's aid). This part-time position is with a full time teacher and I think it is mainly with the early childhood educators (which I find more exciting than other ages, as I'm sure Captain Something Fun would agree). The paraeducators are paid slightly less than a substitute but I think it would be helpful to start out doing this to get a little experience before I take on a full class by myself. I'm really looking forward to getting started and I hope to be able to work at least 2 (at most 3 days a week because of classes). It sounds like A. County is in desperate need of substitutes so I should be able to get as much work as I can handle. Until and once I begin I'll be eagerly accepting advice from my fellow Twenty-Somethings who have more experience with children/students than I do!

Also, a thanks to Miss Ellaneous for helping me out as a non-supervisor reference! I owe you! :)

I hope to keep you posted on this experience,
The Farmer's (and teacher's) Daughter

I shall overcome

As you all may or may not know, I have been fighting an injury off and on for the past five-ish months. I believe it all started when I decided to go to a 6AM cycling class with a friend from my OT cohort. I was stoked about the class. It was my second time attending and I felt really accomplished after the first class. It was tough and I had been able to persevere through the sweat and fatigue. I was excited for that feeling again. The class went great. Again, I had a feeling of accomplishment. BUT, hard workouts like that make almost anyone feel tight from the prolonged contraction and release cycles. So, when the cycling instructor announced that there would be a yoga class directly following, I was stoked! My friend agreed to join, wanting to get a good stretch too. This, I believe, was my mistake.

As you may also know, I am driven. I don't like to be unsuccessful at something. You can see why group classes can be harmful to me. I get in a mindset where I don't feel pain like I would if I were by myself. I don't consciously do it. But I am so focused on doing the exercises with the correct form and moving in rhythm with the instructor that there isn't much mental energy left to think about other stuff. At least that's my theory.

So, I went to two classes in a row. I felt fine. Maybe a little sore, but mostly fine. About a week later, I noticed a feeling of pressure in the back of my left knee. I didn't think much of it. There wasn't any pain. It couldn't be serious, right?

Well, here I am five months later, fighting the problem for the fourth or fifth time. At first, I had absolutely no idea what it could be. I honestly thought those two exercise classes had nothing to do with it because they'd happened a week before my first symptom. But after researching and questioning and paying attention to every little pinch of pain, I have realized several things.

1.) Work provokes my symptoms. If I work a few days in a row, I notice more tightness in my leg. While at work, I often feel what I would describe as a pinching pain on the lateral side of my knee. Sometimes, the pain becomes less localized.

2.) The swelling and/or pressure is always on the back side of my knee.

3.) I have discomfort at the very top of my thigh. Although the lateral side of my knee bothers me the most, when I was getting my ultrasound done, the medial side felt just as bad where the technician was rubbing it so much.

This is a picture of the hamstring, which is actually three different muscles: the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and the biceps femoris.

As you can clearly see from the photo, this set of muscles attached on both sides of the knee. Also, just to be completely clear, this is a view of the back of the leg. From the research I've done and help I've gotten from friends (particularly Mr. Cecil), I have determined that I have hamstring tendinitis (probably, more technically, tendinosis). It occurs as a result of overuse of the hamstrings.

Now that I am pretty positive I know what the injury is, I really really really hope that I can heal this puppy on my own. That's my main goal for the first quarter of 2015. I want to rid myself of this issue once and for all if I can and educate myself on how to prevent it in the future. Lots of ice, simple strengthening exercises, elevation, compression, and rest is coming in the days ahead.

Now that I've bored you all to death... I just want to say please keep my sanity in your thoughts as I try to not do much of anything and hopefully get my leg healthy again. Another thing: it is never worth to over do exercise. Not even once. I've learned this lesson the hard way.

Until next time,

Granny Eyre Stuff

It's time to truly live up to my name and make a blog post about a book. Recently I just finished reading Life of Pi  by Yann Martel. I'd give it a 5 out of 5 even though it wasn't life changing. Martel brilliantly took the 227 lonely days that Pi Patel spent stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger and turned it into a captivating book. I've read The Old Man and the Sea and Moby-Dick, so I know how boring sea novels can be at times. (I'm not saying those are horrible books. They have their merit, but they were a bit dry at times.)

Life of Pi begins with a boy whose family owns a zoo in India. It's a magical place to grow up, but Piscine very clearly knows the difference between animals and humans and does not imagine that the animals are his friends. Still though, he learns quite a bit about life, death, and animals while growing up there. In addition to animals, Pi also takes interest in religion, joining three somewhat different religions: Christianity, Islam, and Hindu. The chapters about his exploration through these belief systems are interesting and informative. There is no bashing of one religion over another because the character equally believes in all of them. As a Christian, the few pages where Pi discovers Christianity were beautiful because they were a reminder of the time when I first understood how much God did for humans.

I had seen the movie before reading this book, but my memory of the movie wasn't that great. I remember ranking it above March of the Penguins, but I was upset by the confusing ending. The book ends similarly where the reader is unsure what exactly is the true story. After taking a class in contemporary fiction, I think the author is going for the contemporary ideas where truth is left up to the individual. That is evidenced by Pi's interest in multiple seemingly contradictory religions and the somewhat similar stories. Before making a final judgement on the movie, I probably should re-watch it in light of the book. After reading the book, though, I'm really unsure how the movie ever captured the detailed dialogue of thoughts expressed by Pi in the book.

If you're looking for a thought-provoking quick read, I'd suggest Life of  Pi. I think I could even read this book numerous times.



___________________________________

On a separate note, I have also been fulfilling the Granny part of my pseudonym by crocheting up a storm. Since I came back the this area the day after Christmas I have crocheted an entire blanket and made quite good progress on another. I don't have a picture of the first since it is in the washer right now, but it is fuzzy blue and worsted weight gray. I'm finding that I prefer to crochet with worsted weight yarn over the fancy yarns that are often sold. I like the even stitches I can get with worsted weight.

Here is a picture my second blanket. It's a new stitch pattern for me and I'm quite pleased with the way it's turning out. I think I'll go around the edge with a solid color to tie it all together.

Well that's all for now. More to come soon!

-Granny Eyre-

Consuming & Preparing

New beginnings... that's what they say about the new year. So far, I have spent the new year preparing. I spent New Year's Day preparing freezer meals. Friday, the hubs and I spent most of the morning cleaning. I took on cleaning out the hubs' bathroom so it will be ready for her to occupy when she arrives this Saturday. Now, we're sharing bathrooms again. I see a bit of bickering in my future. Then, Saturday I began preparing her room and shopped for items to prepare for my family's arrival. They're more than likely coming up Saturday and staying over to visit and help with the move.

Yesterday, the hubs and I went to S-ville to get his '66 Ford LTD. He's been wanting to get it up here for awhile so he can take better care of it.

Photo credit: the hubs

This morning, we're preparing to sell my Cavalier. We have someone meeting us in Lexington to look at it. We're ready to get it sold. I'll be sad to see it go because it has taken me many places where I've learned many things and made many memories. Hopefully its new owner will treat it just as well and get as much out of it as I have.

The rest of this week, I plan to get ready for my family's arrival by getting the townplex spic and span. I have a fairly lengthy to do list to complete before Saturday. In addition, I am getting prepared to head back to school in two weeks. I have books to buy and a schedule to transpose. I am also going to help Kat get her schedule and fin aid figured out. What a joy.

Anyways, in other news, here are a few things I've been consuming over the break:

Yes Please by Amy Poehler*

If you've watched the movie Mean Girls, you're familiar with Amy Poehler's work. She first became a hit on SNL. She a well-known comedian that I first got acquainted with through occasionally watching an episode of Parks and Recreation with the hubs. I thought she did an excellent job in the series and wanted to see more of her work. Then, when I found out about this book, I immediately added it to my Christmas list. Thanks Grandma! So far, I like it. However, it is clear that writing isn't her expertise (which she mentions several times in the beginning of the book). I like a bit of comic relief and this book is doing it for me.

My precious*

Gosh, this has to be one of my all time favorite cereals (although I feel like I say that about everyone). The main reason is this cereal is delicious with milk or dry. I don't feel the same about most of the cereals. Why have I consumed so much of it over the break? My mother got me and the hubs one. So far, the hubs hasn't eaten any and I've almost finished his box. Oops!

Criminal Minds*

Criminal Minds was added Netflix a few weeks ago and the hubs and I just love it. Normally, I don't really get into series to much. I'll watch an episode then miss two or three while he's going through one. This one, however, I enjoy enough that I've been watching without him. The group you see in the picture above are the main characters in season one. They are the B.A.U. (Behavioral Analysis Unit) of the FBI. They profile criminals in order to help locate them. Blacklist is another good series the hubs and I have watched on Netflix over the break.

Podcast by Sarah Koenig and Julie Synder*

A friend recently recommended this podcast to me. I downloaded it before we left for S-ville yesterday. It came in handy on the trip back because I was by myself. I listened to the first four episodes. Very interesting detailed look inside of one case that happened about fifteen years ago that is revisited by a journalist, Sarah Koenig. It's about a young girl who gets murdered in high school. Her ex-boyfriend is arrested and eventually found guilty of the crime. He is in prison to this day. Delving deeper into the case, Sarah raises a lot of questions about the findings.

If you get a chance, I recommend all four of these things (especially Serial and Criminal Minds)!

Until next time,

*I obtained each of these photos from a quick Google search. They're definitely not mine.

Stepping Out

**Sorry, this is a double post from my personal blog, but there are different people reading each site.**

School starts this week, and for the first time in my life, I will not be attending. When I first started planning this post in my head last week, I thought I would feel sad at this moment. I imagined an empty ache would ring in my heart. But that's not the feeling I am experiencing. Yes, it's odd, but it's also strangely exciting. There won't be any papers to stress me out or discussions to attempt to stay awake during. Of course there also won't be any friends to meet on the sidewalk or crazy late night study sessions. I can't just waltz over across the hall to my friend's room or tell someone to meet me for dinner in five minutes. Things get a bit more complicated from now on, but I've always liked a good complication to struggle with. 

The most exciting part of this new step in my life is the possibility. My entire life lies before me. Yes, I kind of have a sense of what I want to do, but who knows where God might take me. In the immediate present, I am super excited about working with the BCM. I met with the leader today to discuss ideas and we are chock full. I sure hope those college students are ready for us. The elementary tutoring job is a bit daunting, but I am starting to realize that God can use me and mold me during this experience as well. He can teach me about being out of my comfort zone and give me an opportunity to share his love with some kids who might feel a bit unloved. 

I do expect some loneliness and nostalgia simply because I'm not living in a dorm room with my best friend or going to classes every day. The pay is much better but the drive is farther. There are ups and downs to this next part of my life, but I think I'm ready to take it all in. God has so much in store for me and I'm just ready to be used for his purpose. After all, what else matters?

New Room, Same Brown Walls

So I officially moved into my final dorm room yesterday. Cathy helped a lot which was great. Something that came to mind though as I was trying to sort through things was,  how come all dorm rooms here are the same ugly brownish color? I think dorm rooms should be happy colorful places so I've added some special touches to my room. You can admire my beautiful organization as you look through the pictures I am attaching.
I am looking forward to this last semester at school.  Only 17 weeks until I graduate! I think it will be a good semester,  sad though because all of you have already left me behind but good times shall come.  Well I better get back to writing my term paper.  Until next time captain something fun signing off.

The Art of Letter Writing & Winter Cleaning

For some reason everyone likes to do spring cleaning, but right now I'm in a bit of a winter cleaning mood. With no work or school to go to, I have been trying to clear away things that I have had in my childhood room since well, my childhood..I'm still in the beginning of the purge because some of the things are harder than others to part with. However, I have sent a couple of bags to the Goodwill. Success! I have some clothing I've been hanging on to, and I am hoping to try to sell it somewhere, like a consignment store (like Plato's) or perhaps online. I'd like to think I can maybe make a little money off some of the nicer clothing that I no longer want. And..I've been saving t-shirts- some I am hoping to have made into a t-shirt quilt, and some I am hoping to use for crafts.

While working on looking around my room at the things I no longer need, I found an envelope full of letters from the summer of 2011 when myself, Captain Something Fun, Granny Eyre and N. Gaffa (who doesn't regularly contribute to the Twenty-Something's blog) wrote each other every week via USPS! Previously I had taken an old binder and filled it with many of the letters I have sent back and forth with my friends since we started our letter writing tradition (including letters and cards from Martha S. and Miss Ellaneous), but for some reason the letters from Summer 2011 stayed in their own envelope...so I proceeded to take out these letters from their envelopes and include them in my binder of letters and cards.

For anyone not part of the TwentySomethings group, I will fill you in on our letter writing tradition. Much like the sisterhood of the traveling pants, the original group of TwentySomethings (a.k.a. the 3 or 4 musketeers: Granny Eyre, Captain Something Fun, myself, and N. Gaffa) were not ready to part when our first two semesters of college were over. We started two traditions at the end of that school year, our annual camping trip and a promise to each other to keep in touch through letters. This was not just any casual letter writing experience either, we made rules. We were supposed to write a letter each week and send it out a certain day (Monday, I think). In addition to the letter, we made a friendship bracelet and we passed the bracelet from one person to the other every week (supposedly). I'm not sure what happened to the bracelet but I am really glad we kept in touch through those letters that summer. The next couple of summers we didn't keep as strictly to the rules and so I don't think we received or sent as many letters either.

I say all of this about our tradition, because as I put the letters in the binder I thought about how sweet it was that we started this tradition. All of the TwentySomethings haven't been writing as many letters to one another and I find the urge to write you all a letter. Occasionally I find surprise mail in the mailbox from one of my fellow TwentySomethings and it always makes me smile. Now that we don't all see each other regularly and we are all on different paths, it's hard to keep in contact. This blog is helpful in allowing us to see some of what we are all up to and thinking about (which I'm grateful for), but it doesn't go as deep as a handwritten letter could. I write this down in a post to encourage you all to write a letter sometime soon. It may not be to me, which is fine. But I encourage you to sit down and take the time to write someone a letter, tell them what has been going on in your life and ask them what they have been doing. Whoever you choose to write to, I can guarantee your letter will brighten their day. And if you need more encouragement to get out the pen and paper, READ THIS blog about the mutual benefits of letter writing! :)

I hope to hear from, or see you all soon!
The Farmer's Daughter